Zippy989

Pluto article from tonite.. With our luck. we'd have to play at Can't.. again.... Why not let flushes, Zips meet in NIT? By Terry Pluto CLEVELAND - How about Can't State and Akron as a first-round matchup in the National Invitation Tournament? ``If we can't go to the NCAA Tournament, we'd love it,'' said Can't State athletic director Laing Kennedy right before his Golden flushes took the court Thursday night in the Mid-American Conference quarterfinals at Gund Arena. Kennedy had just watched Akron lose 66-60 to Western Michigan in overtime, ending the Zips' season at 19-10, 11-7 in the MAC. ``They had a tremendous year,'' Kennedy said. ``I love how hard Keith (Dambrot) got his kids to play. They have a chance to build something special.'' Something like Can't State, where the flushes have won at least 20 games for a MAC-record seven consecutive seasons? ``That's what we'd like to see happen to us,'' Dambrot said. ``Very few people truly appreciate what Can't has accomplished. It's unprecedented in the MAC. Of course we'd want a program like that.'' There is good news for both Akron and Can't State fans. Akron's 19 victories were the most in school history since 1989, when Bob Huggins coached the Zips to a 21-8 finish and an NIT appearance. That was the last time Akron was in the postseason. In the past six years, Can't State has been to three NCAA Tournaments and three NITs. Can't State took the court Thursday night with a 20-11 record after playing the nation's 34th most demanding schedule according to collegerpi.com. Can't State is one of only 16 of the nation's 327 Division I programs that have won at least 20 games in the past seven years. ``I really believe that's something to celebrate,'' Kennedy said. ``In leagues like the MAC, you may win 20 games one or two years, then you drop back for a couple of years. It's so hard to sustain that level of excellence.'' Why not let them play again? Can't State won both regular-season games (57-54 and 63-58). Both were sellouts: 5,500 at Akron, 6,502 at Can't State. This matchup would have far more meaning than one of these schools playing the eighth-best team in the Big Ten or Big East, and would probably be a better draw. Can't State and Akron both finished the MAC regular season at 11-7, one game behind Miami in the MAC East. Neither team is motored by a star. Can't State had no one voted among the MAC's top 10 players. Akron's Romeo Travis was picked to the MAC second team. Akron lost perhaps its best player early in January, when rebounding machine Jeremiah Wood went down with a knee injury that required season-ending surgery. ``I really think if we had Jeremiah in this game, we would have won,'' Dambrot said after his team's overtime loss to Western Michigan. The Zips were pounded 55-34 on the boards, including 11-2 in overtime. It was like the Little Zips Team That Could suddenly was out of emotional fuel, scoring two points in the five-minute overtime. At the start of the season, the Akron coaches thought 15-17 victories was a realistic goal, and that was with a healthy Wood. When he was lost, it appeared the Zips would be fortunate to finish at .500 in the MAC. Instead, they had a 10-6 MAC record without Wood. ``I don't think I've ever been prouder of a team,'' Dambrot said. ``I've had very talented teams that won big at Ashland and St. V (St. Vincent-St. Mary), but none of them played harder or overachieved as much as these guys. They really deserve a shot at the NIT.'' Can't State also had an impressive season. ``Before the year began, I told Jim (coach Jim Christian) that he didn't need to win 20 for this to be considered a success,'' Kennedy said. ``I really didn't know how well we'd do because we lost so many guys.'' That included three of their top four scorers, including MAC Defensive Player of the Year John Edwards. ``We had to work in six new players,'' Kennedy said. ``I really thought this was Jim's best coaching job.'' ``I'm just glad the community is coming back to us and talking about Akron basketball again,'' Dambrot said. ``What I feel best about is we gave them a team they could be proud of.''

Several messages received. One: No Respect from MAC Officials Two: You don't get fouled when your settle for 3 pointers all afternoon. Three: You don't fouled when you don't grab rebounds. Guys, come on. I know this one hurt but look how far we came in year one AH. (After Hipsher) KD and the team has worked a miracle this season. I am really looking forward to the next season... when is the last time any of us could say that? Now we have to wait for football... but I'm actually looking forward to that too... Just remember. When it all happens and we are celebrating a MAC Championship, we can all say we were there when it all began.... Thank you KD and team for a great season. Both you and JD will get us there... GO ZIPS!!!

Re-bounds

The two morons calling the Buffalo/Toledo game on WKNR make Bill Needle look good.. Geez, could have got a couple of UA communications students to call it better than these two... Definitely not Dream Job material.... Buffalo 79-71 2:00 to go...

KingZip Exposed!!

Anyone wanna take a shot at a caption for this WMU logo? Something is not right with this horse... "Save a Horse. Ride A Cowboy?"

Here's a little salve for your boo boo...

Oh.. and Mighty Can't State only had 3100 fans.. a half full MAC Center.... from Beacon this morning by Gary Estwick: Can't State cruises to Cleveland Golden flushes rev up their engine in running over Central Michigan; Ohio next on road Can't - Can't State's first-round game of the Mid-American Conference Tournament was supposed to be a tune-up for the quarterfinals Thursday. It turned out to be little more than a deluxe car wash, as the fifth-seeded Golden flushes waxed No. 12 seed Central Michigan 91-60. With its 20-11 record, Can't State now has won at least 20 games in seven consecutive seasons, extending its MAC record. Too bad just 3,217 fans showed up to the M.A.C. Center on Monday night, the smallest home crowd since mid-January.

I think maybe your bein a little hard on the fans?? After the Buffalo debacle, fans were disappointed. And all of you will admit, the spectre of another 1st round exit loomed pretty large. Only one day to sell the tickets. No time to promote the game and 1st round opponent in EMU that really doesn't get the blood flowing around here... plus UA fans are still learning how to cheer for a winner...we're not used to it...Not an excuse -- just the ugly truth. UA fan support is tentative this season. Fans are excited but leary. I think support will be decent in Cleveland -- even my wife said we should go to Thursday game!!! And it's @ 2:30 pm. That's saying something. Look, bottom line -- we can't expect everything to turn around in one season. Winning results in fan support... KD has something going. If we can make a good run in Cleveland, an NCAA bid is out there for the taking. If we can't run the table a possible NIT game at home would fill the JAR and generate huge momentum for next season.... I would be interested to know what Can't State's fan support looked like when they began their 6-7 season run. I doubt the MAC Center was sold out much, if at all during Waters break out season... it was the following year that saw the surge... Anybody know for sure on this? Call it what you will fair weather fans don't come out until the tradition is established. Finish strong at the Gund. Then let's see what the attedendance looks like next season....

They can't rebound. What's your problem with the truth??? Maybe we should all stick our heads in the ground and act surprised "IF" we somehow we don't get killed on the boards tonite. KD is trying to motivate the team. Sometimes they need a hug. Sometimes a kick in the pants. I'll leave it up to you to figure out which apporach this is. I'll bet they come out fired up and grab a rebound or two tonite!! I, for one, find KD's honesty completely refreshing after the last regime's double speak. KD calls it like he sees it.

MAC All Freshman Team

I think we're all a little disappointed with today's performance. The team looked tired and maybe a little beat up.. they've run a gauntlet over the last few weeks and teams know they can't out effort us so they are trying to out-physical us. I think it got to them and we laid an egg today. That said. KZ, a little over sensitive?? MAC refs are terrible. In today's games, I noticed the refs sucked too... both ways... Miami vs Marshall was a brawl and at times Zips vs Bulls was rough too... It's about time the MAC quit paying low dollar for refs... you get what you pay for.... What really gets me is that these morons are going to get somebody hurt with their non-calls. MAC Basketball has been looking more and more like football every year. EMU on Monday... GO ZIPS!!!

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...cial_s%26sa%3DN Too much typing for hyperlink... I did.. MP3 sounds great while surfing GOZIPS or ZIPSNATION... Get's you fired up!! GO ZIPS!!! BEAT BUFFALO!!! Just a thought... Hey mods... Can you upload and have Blue and Gold Play on the new front page???

Mike Finger: This year's NCAA becomes watered-down product Web Posted: 03/04/2005 12:00 AM CST San Antonio Express-News There was a time, believe it or not, when the NCAA tournament was an exclusive affair. Now it seems like everyone except John Chaney is welcome. Sending a "goon" into a game to wreak havoc and break limbs apparently isn't enough to secure a Big Dance invitation. But you might be amazed at what does merit an at-large berth these days. Lose six times in the far-from-daunting Mid-American Conference? Start placing those NCAA tournament ticket orders, Akron. Drop four games in a row, including an embarrassing debacle against woeful St. John's? Hop on board, Georgetown — we have plenty of room. Feeling a bit ashamed of a record that includes 10 defeats without playing a single Top 25 foe? Don't worry, Creighton — we'll take you anyway. Mix in a few unimpressive victories around ugly losses to Pac-10 also-rans Arizona State, Washington State and Oregon State? Hey, Stanford, you're a lock. How did this happen, you ask? Usually by the end of February, there are about three dozen teams having emerged as clear-cut tournament-caliber powers. That group then produces the bulk of the NCAA at-large berths, and the rest of the field is filled out by conference tournament champions. This year, though, the pool of obvious March dancers has dwindled to about 25 or so. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly why this happened. It could be because all the teams from No. 25 to No. 65 are beating each other up. Or maybe many conference bottom-feeders are improving so much that there aren't as many easy victories anymore. Whatever the reasoning, the trend is good news for teams such as Texas and Iowa State, two Big 12 squads putting together seasons that would have made them hard-pressed to get into previous NCAA tournaments. UT has lost six of 11 games since losing P.J. Tucker to academic troubles, and the Longhorns are coming off one of their worst losses of the season, at home against Oklahoma. But even without beating Oklahoma State on Saturday, UT still should be able to back into the NCAAs with a simple first-round victory at the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City. For this year's NCAA tournament committee, there simply aren't a whole lot of other options. Take a look at the Express-News' latest "Big Dance" Card, our weekly projection of the at-large invitees. ISU still makes the cut this week after dropping back-to-back games to Texas A&M and Nebraska. Miami-Ohio is in after suffering two bad losses of its own last week. George Washington, which has lost two of its last three and is only 10-5 in the below-average Atlantic 10, somehow stays on the list. And if those teams seem unqualified, you should take a look at some of those that didn't get in. A&M, for instance, has hope for a bid despite going 2-6 on the road. But just because the quality of the bubble teams is down doesn't mean there won't still be controversy on Selection Sunday. A team that doesn't get invited will think it has a better case than one that does, and it probably will have a point. But just once, it would be nice to go through the entire evening without hearing a coach whine about being passed over. After all, if you didn't do enough to remove all doubt about your worthiness to be in this year's field, you don't have anyone to blame but yourself. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- mfinger@express-news.net

Did you guys catch the interview on CollegeInsider.com??? CollegeInsider.com Interviews KD Discuss in the Basketball Forum

First of all, Z-Pouch is right. This season has been a fun ride. But it isn't over yet. And has the future ever looked brighter?? Answer: NO. As for tonite's game -- It was there to take, we just didn't execute and get it done. Obervations: Gerwig is a thug and a cheap shot artist. MAC refs are blind. How many times did they miss out of bounds calls both ways tonite? Can't just threw us around tonite... wish Jeremiah was in the line up... Will somebody teach Futch to DUNK THE FREAKIN' BALL!!!! He misses at least 3-4 gimmes every game. KD needs to recruit an enforcer or two for next year!! Maybe a football player or two... a la Bob Huggins.... Still believe... If the rest of the games fall our way, we can still be in a very good position... GO ZIPS!!! and Can't still sucks...

This is just passing along information. So, before anyone says anything... yes, we should all get to the games... but if you can't, you can still see the action.... For those who can't get Can't tickets, game will be on ch 23 Warner Cable. Marshall game at home will be also on 23. And final game at Buffalo March 5th will be part of double header Game of the Week on Fox SportsNet... MAC TV Game of the Week Announcement

Motion carried. The resolution is agreed to. There being no objection, I move that the resolution be officially adopted.

New logos and colors are cool.. Can't State alum I work with in office wishes Can't would dump the "Eagle Head." Says Zips Logo is awesome.. -- he's a former football flush!! Maybe you'll like this logo better?? YUCK!!!

And I thought you guys were kidding about Columbus State... Columbus State Gear -- for real!!

I think we'll learn to live with ourselves!!! Really M, both teams played in your face defense all nite. Both offenses struggled. Redhawks always play methodical game, pressuring the other team into mistakes. In the past, we couldn't match the intensity. It's different now with KD on board. This team just finds ways to compete and win. This is really a lot of fun for those of us who are long-suffering Zips Fans!!

Listed in 2/23 version of ESPN Bubblewatch although record was wrong etc... Buffalo [17-7 (9-6), RPI: 42, SOS: 105] If Miami (OH) wins MAC tourney, can Bulls sneak in if they lose in the finals? 4-7 vs. RPI Top 100. Must finish ahead of Akron (and hopefully 2nd overall in MAC) to have chance for at-large. Akron [15-7 (9-5), RPI: 45, SOS: 107] If we have Buffalo, we have to have Akron, which is a ½-game up on the Bulls in the MAC East with a very similar profile. Zips are 5-4 vs. RPI Top 100. Northern Iowa [18-8 (9-6), RPI: 46, SOS: 106] Back in the mix to be the second team out of the MVC. Travels to SIU Wednesday night with a chance to sweep the league leaders and also goes to Wichita State in the season finale. 5-5 vs. RPI Top 100 and has 17-point win over Iowa State in pocket. Davidson [16-7 (14-0), RPI: 48, SOS: 83] Can't keep them off the list any more. Top 50 RPI and Top 100 SOS very good for low-conference leader, even though Wildcats are only 1-5 vs. RPI Top 100. Being unbeaten in league doesn't hurt resume. UTEP [19-7 (11-4), RPI: 60, SOS: 153] Two non-D-I wins hurt resume. Didn't get the marquee win at Pacific (although few do). Now two games behind Nevada in the WAC, Miners very well could have to win the conference tourney to get in. Wisc.-Milwaukee [19-5 (14-2), RPI: 65, SOS: 245] Will win Horizon League. Will that be enough? George Washington [17-5 (9-3), RPI: 72, SOS: 227] Computer numbers weakening as Colonials roll through bottom of A-10. Better win two (or more) of next three (at Xavier, at Dayton, vs. A-10 leader Saint Joe's). Saint Joseph's [15-9 (12-1), RPI: 74, SOS: 110] If GW's in the mix, how can we omit the runaway A-10 leaders? 5-8 vs. RPI Top 100, but only one Top 50 win. This league got four bid last year. Can it get only one this season? New Mexico [19-6 (7-4), RPI: 93, SOS: 275] Interesting test case for player injury adjustment -- Lobos went 0-3 when star Danny Granger was out injured. Very bad computer numbers, but could end up with 24 wins if they make the MWC finals and just beat Utah for a marquee W.

Maybe they can print the Beacon on this instead!!!! Kangaroos Literally Poop Paper CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An environmentally friendly paper manufacturer has stumbled upon an unlikely way to put an unwanted natural resource to good use. The company has created its first batch of paper from marsupial manure. Landowners around the Tasmania state town of Burnie helped scrape together 55 pounds of kangaroo and wallaby dung for the local business, Creative Paper Tasmania (search), to make the unique paper pulp, manager Joanne Gair said. "It's a great product for tourists, but it's also something that gets our eco-friendly message home to a lot of people," said Gair, whose paper products contain no wood. The sand-colored sheets will be embossed with the words "Genuine Kangaroo Poo," she said. Roughly 400 sheets can be made from 55 pounds of the fibrous droppings. "We've got enough to make our first batch, but if we're going to get into serious production, we're going to need a bit of assistance," she said. Kanagroo Poo Last story at bottom of the page....

Any chance of adding Miami to the filter like the Can't State?? Could have it changed to Cryami or J Crew U.

CK, you hit the nail on the head!!! For the first time in a long time, it's great to be a Zip Fan!! :blink: Bring on Cryami!!